Firearm.



J. D. PEDERSEN.

FIREARM APPLICATION FILED NOV 22, 1912.

Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

wfflizessesz' JOHN D. PEDEBSEN, OF JACKSON, WYOMING.

Specification of Letters Intent.

Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

Application fled Iovember 22, 1912. Serial No. 732,805.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. Penman, a. citizen of the United States, residing in Jackson, in the county of Uinta and State of Wyoming, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my present invention is to provide an im roved gun-frame construction or takeown whereby the firearm may be'quickly separated at the usual point between the gun-stock and the gun-barrel, and, when thus taken down, may then be quickly reassembled by the sliding of one part into interlocking engagement with the other part, this sliding movement being transversely of the barrel.

A further object is to provide for opening the mechanism-chamber in the gun-frame, bv effecting the described separation of the frame entirely by a transverse movement and without any longitudinal movement of one frame-part relatively tothe other, and thereby provide for certain details of the operating mechanism being removed from and replaced into operative relation to other details, without operating them and without interfering with their respective working positions.

My present improvements are applicable to firearms having the frames or receivers of various proportions, and to those having various kinds and arrangements of o erating mechanism within the receiver. hese improvements, however, are particularly applicable as a means for assembling the two principal parts of the frame in that large class of small-arms which includes firearms of the kind illustrated and described in the Letters Patent of the United States, No. 963,171, granted to me July 5, 1910. In that patent the gun-frame comprises the upper and'forward member 21, usually designated as the receiver and the lower and rearward member 22, which is therein designated as the trigger-plate, but which I herein designate as the guard-frame.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially in section, of a twomember gun-frame arranged in accordance with my present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the receiver, corresponding to a portion of Fig. 1, and with some parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the guard-frame; this view also corresponds to a portion of Fig. 1, and is placed in a position relatively to Fig. 2, for indicating, (especially by comparison with Fig. 1,) the manner of assembling. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view in line J, J, Fig. 1, showing the parts at the left-hand of said line, as seen from a point at the right-hand thereof. Fi 5 is a sectional view on the line J 2 J, ig. 3, showing the parts at the left-hand of said line, as seen from a point at the right-hand thereof. Fig. 6 is a view of the rearward end of the receiver, as seen from the left-hand of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, sectional view in the line J J Fig. 1, but showing the frame-members 21 and 22 slightly separated for more clearly illustrating the interlocking guide-ways.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the views.

The space within the receiver or framemember 21 constitutes the mechanism-chamber of the firearm, and for convenience is herein shown of a form and arrangement substantially corresponding to that illustrated in said patent No. 963,171, and to facilitate comparison therewith, similar parts are herein generally designated by the same characters as applied thereto in that prior patent.

The guard-frame, designated in a general way by 22, not only closes the lower side of the mechanism chamber by fitting in between the lower edges of the side-walls 21, 21, but also extends upwardly for guarding the rearward end of said chamber by forming an end wall therefor (see Figs. 1 and 2).

By means of this arrangement, the usual breech-block (not shown) when slidable lo-ngitudinally of said chamber, is prevented from being driven rearwardly out of the chamber by the premature explosion of a cartridge, or otherwise. In some cases, an opening, as P, may be made in said rearward wall for the passage of some smaller part of the operative mechanism, as for instance the arm of the sear 31, illustrated in said prior patent.

The guard-frame 22 has a forwardly-facing surface 75 which may be arranged to face against the end-surface 733 of the rearward of the receiver 21, and to thus form a part of the guide-way surfaces upon which the guard-frame slides into engagement with the receiver. For this latter purpose, the receiver is shown provided with the oppositely-disposed guide-way grooves,

or channels, 17 and 17, and between these grooves and the end-face 75 (Figs. 2 and 6) has the guide-ribs 16 and 16; these grooves and ribs being arranged to engage with the reversely arranged parallel grooves 14 and 14 and ribs 15 and 15, on the guardframe,see Fig. 7. These grooves and ribs all being parallel to the faces 75 on member 22, and 75 on member 21; when these members are assembled, Fig. 1, the two framemembers are readily slid apart by a direct downward movement of the guard-frame 22 relatively to the receiver 21.

The guard-frame 22 is shown provided with a rearwardly-extending arm, at the left-hand of the face 7 5 and of any suitable size and shape, for use in connecting with the forward end, as 23, Fig. 1, of the usual gun-stock. Forward of said face 75 the frame-member 22 is shown (as in said prior patent) provided with the long guard-arm 22, which may extend forwardly under the entire length of the mechanismchamber (Fig. 1) and there engage by its face 22", upwardly against the opposing stop-face 21 on the cross-connection 21 at the forward end and lower side of the receiver,see Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The guard-frame is also provided with a stop-face at 22 located for engaging under the face 21 on the receiver. But the distance at 18, Fig. 3, should be slightly less than the distance 18, Fig. 3, when the frame-members are sliding together, (Fig. 3) so that the face 22 will contact with the face 21 before the face 22 contacts with the face 21. If, now, force is ap lied to bring the latter two faces together, t e interengag- ,ing parts, especially the'arm 22" (being in practice, slightly resilient) will be put under a tension or stress, which will be preserved by inserting the assembling pin 48, which is preferably a screw. The amount of this tension may be regulated by suitably shaping the arm 22?, and thus controlling the amount of the difference between the distances l8 and 18.

Along its rearward portion, but forward of the face 75, the guard-arm 22 is shown provided with the two upwardly-extending side-walls, 77 and 78, which fit between the receiver walls, as well shown in Fig. 4. The receiver near its rearward end is shown provided in its two side walls with two holes, at 45, located opposite each other. One of these holes is threaded and both holes are shown as being bushed in a well known manner to permit of hardened wearing surfaces being employed (see Fig. 4). The guardframe in a similar location carries two holes, at 45, Fig. 3, opposite each other, which holes are connected together by means of the bushing 4.5, Fi s. 1 and 4. When the guard-frame is sli fully into position in the receiver (Figs. 1 and 4), the hole in this bushing is in alinement with the axis of the bushed holes in the receiver. The screw 48 being inserted through these bushings and screwed into the threaded bushing in the far side of the receiver, serves as an assemblin pin and clamping device for securely hol ing and binding the parts into place. This, while permitting of ready detachment and assembling, operates to prevent looseness or possible movement between the two parts after they are bound together by the screw.

In Fig. 3, the lower edge'21 of the receiver is indicated by a dotted line extending back to the face 75, for indicating the extent of the assembling of the two frame-members 21 and 22 at the time the two pairs of sto faces, 22 and 21", and 22 and 21', are in t e positions shown by the dotted lines so designated in this view.

The side-walls 21, of the receiver 21 are necessarily, in practice, slightly flexible owing to their relatively small thickness, and hence by firmly screwing up the assemblingpin 48, these side-walls are readily closed onto the engaging guide-ways of the guardframe, and thus the two frame-members are brought into a tense and firm relation to each other; the guard-arm 22, between said side-walls should, of course, be suitably fitted to provide first for that clamping action, and then to further close the side-walls onto the. guardarm. These interlocking and clamping features, especially in combination with the other tension due to the stop-faces 22 and 21, result in a firm assembling of the two frame-members, while -permitting them to be fitted for a free slidingof the one relatively to the other in both the operation of taking down and the operation of reassembling, so that these operations can be accomplished with exceptional celerity and certainty. The location of the two hearings or stop-faces, 22 and 21", is such that, on the guard-frame bein moved upward into its proper position in e receiver, the stop-face 22 comes into contact with its said opposing face, 21", slightly before the bushing mounted in the guard-arm is brought into perfect alinement with the corresponding bushing in the receiver. Force being then applied to perfect this alinement, and to put a strain or tension on the whole guard-frame and so bring it under tension, this tension will. be .reserved by introducing the screw into the ushing and turning it into place. This tension has the effect of forcing the rib and groove faces of the guard-frame forwardly at their upper ends, and rearwardly at thelr lower ends, thus producing a perfect bearing under a strong tension. A direct effect of this mode of pivotally connecting and tensioning the frame members, is to bring their bearing faces in a line directly back of the barrel, into a firm contact in the direction for transmitting the shock of firing from the receiver to the guard-frame and stock, without any play taking place at that point, as between the two frame-members, and this result is obviously of much importance, especially in rifles for long-range and accurate shooting.

When the inner details are arranged as herein illustrated, the employment of the tubular member 45, is of course optional, one of its-chief and direct purposes being to serve as a pivotal support for the trigger 46. As in said prior patent, this trigger is also herein shown operated by a spring-device 47, and provided with a safety-stop at 71; but these features are not a part of my present improvements, and are only shown herein for illustrating how any operative parts located on the guard-frame 22, may now be withdrawn directly downwardly away from the mechanism-chamber, and without any material forward or rearward movement of such withdrawable devices relatively to the receiver during the disassembling of the frame-members.

Owing to the location and arrangement of the pivotal connection 45 of the frame-members, those portions of the engaging faces of the ribs and grooves, which lie directly, .or nearly directly, rearward of that pivot, have little or no forward or rearward movement relatively to said pivot, and are therefore not materially affected as to their fit or contact pressures, by the sli ht turning movement of the receiver on t at ivot in bringing the upper-end portion 0 those rib and groove faces into full tension. This arrangement, therefore, favors the effective action of the arm 22, which being suitably tensioned against the bearing face 21', thereby becomes, as to its functions, a motor-arm for maintaining a turning effect or torque of the receiver on its said pivot, and thus serves to keep up a constantly-active force which tends always to keep the facecontacts in the desired direction.

In the arrangements as illustrated in my said prior patent, the retaining-pin 48 does not constitute a pivotal-connection between the two frame-members, since these members are there interlocked in such a manner as to require an initial sliding movement in a longitudinal direction, for disengaging that interlock before the guard-frame can be lowered; and for the further reason that the pin 48 has to be withdrawn before said longitudinal movement can begin, whereas in my resent take-down construction that longitu inal movement is entirely dispensed wit The receiver stop face 21 at the rearward end of the frame-member 21 is located for limiting the sliding-together movement of the interlocking frame-members, while the stop face 22 on the forward end of the ard-frame arm 22 is arranged for engagmg the receiver in advance of the contacting of said rearward face 21 with the member 22; and subsequently to that advance contact of the guard-arm stop-face, the

ard-member is subjected to the tensioning-fl'exure for bringing the assemblingpin bearings into alinement coincidentally with the contacting of said rearward stop face 21' with the guard-frame face 22. By these means, the guard-arm is maintained under tension upwardly at its forward end against the receiver and thus operates as a motor-arm for applying a constantly-active turnin effect to the receiver upon its detachab e, pivotal-connection with the guardframe, for thereby holdin the freely-fitted and transversely-dispo shock-transmitting faces of the interlocking oves and ribs, in firm contact directly ack of the barrel.

The location of the ivot or axis 45 at the relatively considera le distance 0:, Fig. 3, forward of the transversely-disposed guide-faces at 75,and of the ribs 15, 15,

rin these guide-faces tangential to a circle aving said distance as as its radius. This arrangement also brings the upper portion of said guide-faces to about the average angle a" from said radial line w, and to the angle y from a similar radial line 3 to the forward stop-face 22", so that this angle a? indicates the extent or proportion of the leverage or wedging-action occurrin while the pivot-member 48 is in place, w ile the angle 3 indicates that levera e or action during the time the operator is su jecting the frame-members to a forcible closing together after the forward stopface 22" engages the receiver at 21. In practice, I prefer to so locate said axis 45 that the length of the said ide-faces or of one of them, above the ra ial line as, (this line being vertical to said faces) will have a ratio of not less than one to one, and not more than two to one; and to have the radial length of the guard-arm face 22 forward of the axis 45, between three and five times the length of said radius 41:.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a separable frame for small-arms, in combination, two frame-members, comprising a receiver having therein the mechanismchamber, and a guard-frame therefor extending over the rearward end of the receiver and having an arm extending tonear the forward end of and below said chamber, each said frame-member having grooves v and ribs arranged for interlocking sliding engagement and located transversely of the line of the barrel of the firearm, stop-faces for limiting the sliding together of the frame members, and removable holding means for detachably connecting together the frame members, substantially as described.

2. In a separable frame for small-arms, in combination, two frame-members, comprising a receiver having therein the mechanism chamber, and a guard-frame therefor ex tending over the rearward end of the re ceiver and having an arm extending to near the forward end of and below said chamber, each said frame-member having grooves and ribs arranged for interlocking sliding engagement at the rearward end of the receiver, and located transversely of the line of the barrel of the firearm, stop-faces for limiting the sliding together of the frame members, and a removable pivotal assembling-pin arranged for detachably connecting together the frame members.

3. In a separable frame for small-arms, in combination, two frame-members, comprising a receiver having therein the mechanismchamber, and a guard-frame therefor extending over the rearward end of the receiver and having an arm extending forwardly below said chamber, each said framemember having vertically-arranged interlocking grooves and ribs fitted for sliding engagement and located transversely of the line of the barrel of the firearm for supplying shock-transmitting faces, a stop-face for limiting the sliding-together movement of the frame members, and removable holding means for detachably connecting together the frame members.

4. In a separable frame for small-arms, the combination with a receiver having therein the mechanism-chamber, of a guardframe extending over the rearward end of the receiver and having an arm extending to near the forward end of and below said chamber, each said frame-member having freely-fitted grooves and ribs arranged for interlocking sliding engagement at the rearward end of the receiver and located transversely of the line of the barrel of the firearm, for providing shock-transmitting faces; a stop-face at the rearward end of the receiver located for limiting the sliding-together movement of the frame-members; a stop-face on the forward end of the guardframe arm and arranged for engaging the receiver in advance of the contacting of said rearward receiver stop-face, assembling-pin hearings in each frame member and located normally out of alinement on the contacting of said forward stop, and located for coming into alinement for receiving a pivotal assembling-pin on the tensioning-flexure of the guard-frame arm subsequently to said forward stop-face contact, and coincidently with the contacting of said rearward stopface, and a pivotal assembling-pin insertible in said bearings when these are brought into alinement, whereby the forwardly-extending guard-arm is maintained under tension upwardly at its forward end against the receiver and thus operates for applying a constantly-active turning effect to the receiver upon its pivotal connection with the guardframe, for thereby holding the freely fitted and transversely-disposed shock-transmitting faces in firm contact directly back of the barrel.

5. In a separable frame for small-arms, the combination with a. receiver having therein the mechanism-chamber, of a guard frame extending over the rearward end of the receiver and having an arm extending forwardly below said chamber for closing the same, each said frame-member having a pair of oppositely disposed grooves and ribs arranged for interlocking sliding engagement at the rearward end of the re ceiver, and located for providing shocktransmitting faces; a stop located for limiting the sliding-together movement of the frame-members; a stop on the guard-frame arm located for engaging the receiver in advance of the contacting of said rearward receiver stop, assembling-pin bearings in each frame member and located normally out of alinement on the contacting of said guardframe-arm stop, and located for coming into alinement for receiving a pivotal assemblingin on the tensioning-flexure of the guardrame subsequently to said arm-stop contact, and a pivotal assembling-pin insertible in said bearings when these are brought into alinement, for thereby holding the shock-transmitting faces in firm contact directly back of the barrel.

6. In a separable frame for small-arms, the combination with a receiver having therein the mechanism-chamber and having near its rearward end the pair of grooves 17 and 17, parallel with the end face thereof, of a guard-frame extending over the rearward end of the receiver and havin the pair of ribs 15 and 15 arranged for interlocking sliding engagement with said receiver grooves, and also having an arm extending forwardly below said chamber; a stop at the rearward end of the receiver located for limiting the sliding-together movement of the frame-members; a stop on the guard-frame arm located for engaging the receiver in advance of the contacting of said receiver stop, assembling-pin bearings in each frame member and located normally out of alinement on the contacting of said forward stop, and located'for coming into alinement for receiving an assembling-pin on the tensioning-flexure of the guardframe arm subsequently to said forward stop-face contact; and an assembling-pin insertible in said bearings when these are brought into alinement, whereby the guardframe is maintained under tension against the receiver for thereby holding the faces of said grooves and ribs in firm contact directly back of the barrel, and in a direction for transmitting the shock of firing.

7. In a separable frame for small-arms, the combination with a receiver having therein the mechanism-chamber and having near its rearward end the pair of grooves 17 and 17, parallel with the end face thereof, of a guard-frame extending over the rearward end of the receiver and havin the pair of ribs 15 and 15" arranged for interlocking sliding engagement with said receiver grooves, and also having an arm extending forwardly below said chamber for closing the same, a stop-face at the rearward end of the receiver located for limiting the sliding-together movement of the frame-members; and detachable holding means located forwardly of the interlocking grooves and ribs for holding the guard frameagainst sliding out of the receiver.

8. In a firearm, the combination in a separable frame therefor, of a receiver having therein the mechanism-chamber, a

guard-frame therefor extending over the rearward end of the receiver and having anarm extending below said'chamber and between the side-walls of the receiver, each said frame-member having grooves and ribs arranged for interlocking sliding engagement and located transversely of the line of the barrel of the firearm, stop-faces for limiting the sliding-together movement of the frame members, and holding means for detachably connecting together the frame members, and comprising a combined pivotal assemblingpin and clamping-screw which is arranged for closing the receiver walls upon the ard-frame arm forwardly of the interlocking grooves and ribs.

JOHN D. PEDERSEN.

Witnesses: r

W. F. LAWRENCE, JOHNSON MORGAN. 

